Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A board game in which a tapered hollow body is positioned and confined in an inverted posture within a game box by the gameboard, said body effectively simulating an upstanding hat. The top of the hat is multiply apertured to receive slender implements such as feathers placed therein according to chance, either directly or by incremental movement through a series of gameboard apertures as designated by shaker box dispensed tokens having appropriate indicia thereon.

United States Patent Smith [541 BOARD GAME APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Richard D. Smith, 913 N. Liberty St., Arlington, Va. 22205 [22] Filed: Oct. 29, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 85,193

[52] US. Cl. .....273Il34 B, 273/134 GM, 273/136 C [51]v Int. Cl. ..A63f 3/00 [58] Field of Search ..273/l, 100, 101, 104, 105,

,[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,451,383 4/1923 Wilson ..206/45.l9 1,872,454 8/1932 Horn et al ..273/ 101 X 2,356,531 8/ i944 Pitar ..273/ 104 11 Sept. 12, 1972 l/l960 Solomon ..46/l7X 6/1971 Hill ..273/l30R Primary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe Attorney-Richard D. Smith 57 ABSTRACT A board game in which a tapered hollow body is positirined and confined in an inverted posture within a game box by the gameboard, said body effectively simulating an upstanding hat. The top of the hat is multiply apertured to receive slender implements such as feathers placed therein according to chance, either directly or by incremental movement through a series of gameboard apertures as designated by shaker box dispensed tokens having appropriate indicia thereon.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patnted Sept, 12, 1972 3,690,667

wINVENTOR RICHARD D. SMITH BOARD GAME APPARATUS The subject invention is drawn to a colorful chance game which employs a simulated hat and playing implements insertable' therein to fulfill the game objectof being the first to simultaneously have a selected number of implements in the hat. The simulated hat is basically a tapered hollow body in the form of a cup or equivalent container fabricated from plastic, self supporting rubber, paper, etc., which is substantially fixedly positioned within and confined to a game box by a platform type gameboard also in the box. The insertion implements are preferably feathers whereby a feather in your hat type game is realized. The use of feathers has additional advantages as will appear hereinafter.

The invention is more particularly set out below with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the game with several feathers in place and the chance shaker box with contents in the process of being removed from the game box in preparation for play.

FIG. 2 is a section of the game taken along line 2-2 ofFlG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a section of the game similar to that taken along line2-'2 of FIG. 1, but with a different form of tapered cup. I e

FIG. 4 shows the top view of only the lippedbase portion of the cup of FIG. 3 with the feather supporting disk in place.

FIG. 5 shows a section of the game similar to that taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1, except that the shaker box is fully contained within the game box and a game box cover is in place.

FIG. 6 shows the disk punch-out card and a set of disks punched from the card.

With reference to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a platform type gameboard 10 positioned within a set-up game box 11 having a bottom and side walls which extend above the upper surface of the gameboard platform. The platform is of conventional heavy paperboard construction with peripheral portions thereof being die cut to provide downwardly bendable portions which serve as legs for maintaining the major platform surface a selected distance above the inside bottom surface of box 11. Platform 10 does not occupy the entire bottom surface area of box 11, there being left room for accommodating the lid 29 and bottom portions of a shaker box 12 as well as platform stabilizing strips 28 as best shown in FIG. 5.

Platform 10 is provided with plural sets of small apertures 17 which are of a size sufficient to accept a slender playing implement preferably in the form of a feather 20. Associated with each set of apertures, four sets being shown as exemplary, is indicia 19 including a game related word such as PLUME. The indicia associated with any one set of apertures is preferably of a single color different from the colors of the other sets, so that correspondingly colored sets of feathers may be utilized in the play of the game as will become clearer hereinafter.

Platform 10 is further provided with a generally centrally located large size aperture 15 for accommodating a tapered body. While, for the purposes of this invention, the aperture can have any desired configuration such as a square, rectangle, triangle, etc., for use with a correspondingly cross-sectional tapered body such as a polyhedron with x number of sides, the aperture is preferably circular for accommodating the circular cross section of a conical tapered body such as provided by a conventional waxed paper or plastic cup 16. The single characteristic common to all such tapered bodies usable with this invention is that they all have vertically diminishing cross sections. Regardless of which body configuration is used, the size of aperture 15 is pro-determined to be intermediate the largest and smallest vertical cross section; dimensions of the tapered body, and approximately that cross section dimension of the body which is located at the plane of the platform that parallels the bottom of box 11 with both the platform and body resting on the inside bottom of box 11. Accordingly, when the body is in an upstanding inverted position as illustrated, it cannot be removed from box 11 without prior or simultaneous removal of platform 10, assuming no tearing or distortion of the parts. The apertured platform thus provides a means for positioning and confining the body to a given playing area, while the height of the cup above the surface of platform '10 provides an effective simula tion of a hat. Simulated hat 16 is provided with a plurality of apertures 18 of'a size sufficient to accommodate the insertion of slender implements 20 as shown.

A different form of conical type tapered hollow body or cup 23 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Cup 23 basically differs from cup 16 of FIG. 2 by the inclusion of a lip 24 which is integral with and extends around the entire periphery of the small base portion of cup 23 as shown. A paperboard disk 25, preferably die cut from the same material as platform 10, is dimensioned for snug fit within the recess provided by lip 24 and the small diameter base portion of cup 23. The cup base portion is provided with a plurality of small apertures 27, twelve for example, which are arranged in a predetermined pattern. Disk 25 is provided with an identically dimensioned pattern of apertures 26 which align with apertures 27 when disk 25 is snug-fit onto cup 23. Each pair of aligned apertures functions to support a slender implement 20 in much the same fashion as a single aperture of cup 16. As shown in both FIGS. land 4, the simulated hats are provided with game related indicia such as the word BOOM.

FIG. 5 serves to illustrate several noteworthy details of the subject game, at least one being considered novel. The arrangement of platform 10 within box 11 is clearly shown as taking up less than all of the bottom surface area of box 11, with the excess box bottom area being used to accommodate stabilizing strips 28, the lid 29 for shaker box 12, and shaker box 12. Aperture 13 in a shaker box side wall serves a purpose to be described. The stabilizing strips 28 approximate the length and width dimensions of the shaker box lid, and both are sized to substantially occupy the box bottom area not taken up by the platform 10. Upon removal of the shaker box 12 and lid 29 from box 11 in preparation for play, the stabilizing strips 28 are retained in the illustrated position in box 11 to substantially immobilize the platform 10 whereby the latter will be stabilized in box 11, that is, not free to move about in box 11 which would otherwise occur in the absence of strips 28. Cover 30 is provided for enclosing the game box 11 and all the parts contained therein.

FIG. 6 shows one possible set of disks 21 which can be used with a lid covered shaker box to provide the chance device necessary for play. Four such sets of disks 21 are provided on a punch-out card 22, each set being of a different color to correspond with the different colors established by the gameboard indicia 19 and correspondingly colored sets of feathers 20. Each set of disks 21 includes at least one no-indicia disk, and others with game related word indicia as shown in FIG. 6. Prior to punch out of disks 21 from card 22, the card is stored folded in shaker box 12 along with feathers 20, preferably separated from each other by a disposable partition 14 as shown in FIG. 1. The relative sizes of disks 21 and aperture 13 in shaker box 12 are such that individual disks 21 can be shaken out of shaker box 12, when covered by lid 29, with relative ease.

Feathers are the preferred implements of play, not only because of their physical beauty, but also because of their inherent shaping characteristic which permits compression of the plumage into a smaller size upon application of very slight pressure. This characteristic of feather plumage not only permits the ready insertion of a feather into an aperture that is only slightly larger than the quill cross section, but also yields a slight pressure against the side walls of a supporting aperture. This slight aperture wall pressure, when combined with the support provided by the flared out plumage portion existing around the aperture beneath the apertured gameboard as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, assists in sustaining the feather in a substantially vertical upstanding position.

A description of the preferred method of play is set forth below, and presumes the following equipment manipulations preparatory to play: (1) a tapered hollow body held in place by the platform gameboard; (2) removal of cover 30, shaker box 12 and lid 29 from game box 11; (3) retainment of strips 28 in the box to stabilize the platform; (4) all four sets of disks 21 punched out from card 22 and placed in shaker box 12; and (5) placement of lid 29 on shaker box 12 to enclose disks 21.

In the preferred mode of actual play, each player selects one color which he alone will use until play of a started game is completed. The players take turns dispensing single disks from the shaker box in the manner well known in the art. Multiple disk shake-outs require that the player play the disk with the lowest value. As to disk values, shake-out of any color no-indicia disk entitles the player to insert a feather in his own color PLUME 1 aperture position or to advance a feather already in a numbered PLUME position of his own to the next higher PLUME position. The next higher position for a feather in PLUME 4 is into an aperture of the simulated BOOM hat. The shake-out of a BOOM disk of any color entitles the player to position any of his feathers directly into an aperture of the BOOM hat. Shake-out of any color disk with a PLUME l, PLUME 2, PLUME 3 or PLUME 4 designation entitles the player to (1) position any one of his own feathers in the designated position unless already occupied in which event the player simply loses a turn, or 2) remove any feather on the gameboard or in the hat which corresponds to the color of the shaken out disk, and reposition same in the designated PLUME position of corresponding color. Play continues until one of the players has succeeded in simultaneously having three of his feathers in the simulated BOOM hat, at which time he is declared the winner and a new game initiated.

Having thus described my invention of a chance controlled game, and recognizing that certain modifications of detail may be made thereto without departing from the scope or spirit thereof, what I claim as new is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a three-dimensional body conveying the appearance of an upstanding hat, a plurality of feather image play implements, game playing structure on said body for receivably supporting said implements, and play elements for defining incremental movement of said implements into supporting relationship with said game playing structure whereby any of'said implements when supported by said body game playing structure convey the appearance of a feather in the hat combination.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said play elements comprise a gameboard and a chance device.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said gameboard is provided with a set of distinctly differentiated play areas, each of said play areas including-at least one aperture in said gameboard into which any of said implements can be inserted for support by said gameboard.

4. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said gameboard is provided with a plurality of color differentiated play areas, each of said play areas comprising a set of apertures for receiving said play implements, each aperture of each set being distinctly identified by a different numeral of a series of successively increasing numerals common to all sets.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said chance device comprises a plurality of disks consisting of sets corresponding to each of the play area colors, the disks of each set individually bearing one of the different numerals of each set of play area apertures.

6. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said game playing structure comprises a surface on said body having a plurality of apertures into which any of said implements can be inserted for support by said body.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said play elements comprise a gameboard, an aperture in said gameboard through which said body extends to assume its upstanding position, said surface on said body being elevated with respect to said gameboard and gameboard aperture.

8. Game apparatus comprising a gameboard that provides a first playing surface with a plurality of distinctly differentiated play defining positions, an aperture in said gameboard through which extends a body that provides above said aperture a second playing surface elevated with respect to said first playing surface, at least one aperture in said second playing surface, game playing implements, and play elements for defining the movement of said implements progressively through said play defining positions for insertion into said at least one aperture.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the relative dimensions of said gameboard aperture and body prevent complete passage of said body through said gameboard aperture.

10. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said first playing surface includes a plurality of color differentiated play defining areas each of said play defining areas comprising a said plurality of distinctly differentiated play defining positions, and each of said positions comprising a distinctly identifiable aperture for receivably supporting play implements. 

1. Game apparatus comprising a three-dimensional body conveying the appearance of an upstanding hat, a plurality of feather image play implements, game playing structure on said body for receivably supporting said implements, and play elements for defining incremental movement of said implements into supporting relationship with said game playing structure whereby any of said implements when supported by said body game playing structure convey the appearance of a ''''feather in the hat'''' combination.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said play elements comprise a gameboard and a chance device.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said gameboard is provided with a set of distinctly differentiated play areas, each of said play areas including at least one aperture in said gameboard into which any of said implements can be inserted for support by said gameboard.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said gameboard is provided with a plurality of color differentiated play areas, each of said play areas comprising a set of apertures for receiving said play implements, each aperture of each set being distinctly identified by a different numeral of a series of successively increasing numerals common to all sets.
 5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said chance device comprises a plurality of disks consisting of sets corresponding to each of the play area colors, the disks of each set individually bearing one of the different numerals of each set of play area apertures.
 6. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said game playing structure comprises a surface on said body having a plurality of apertures into which any of said implements can be inserted for support by said body.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said play elements comprise a gameboard, an aperture in said gameboard through which said body extends to assume its upstanding position, said surface on said body being elevated with respect to said gameboard and gameboard aperture.
 8. Game apparatus comprising a gameboard that provides a first playing surface with a plurality of distinctly differentiated play defining positions, an aperture in said gameboard through which extends a body that provides above said aperture a second playing surface elevated with respect to said first playing surface, at least one aperture in said second playing surface, game playing implements, and play elements for defining the movement of said implements progressively through said play defining positions for insertion into said at least one aperture.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the relative dimensions of said gameboard aperture and body prevent complete passage of said body through said gameboard aperture.
 10. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said first playing surface includes a plurality of color differentiated play defining areas each of said play defining areas comprising a said plurality of distinctly differentiated play defining positions, and each of said positions comprising a distinctly identifiable aperture for receivably supporting play implements. 